Synthesis of valuable Plaster of Paris from waste marine mollusks: A crystallographic characterization from XRD

The present research demonstrated the possibility of using aquatic assets for the generation of materials by effectively synthesizing Plaster of Paris (CaSO 4 .0.5H 2 O), sourced from oceanic snail specimens, notably Cardium sp. and Conch sp. When sulfuric acid interacts with snail shells, it releases calcium and sulfate ions, enhancing the reaction rate. The crystallite magnitude, which was smaller than 150 nm, was evaluated using a variety of model formulas; interestingly, all models produced meaningful estimates for the produced products, except the Linear Straight-Line Method. With stress levels ranging from 2 × 10 7 –4 × 10 7 for both the species and values for strain from −1.58 × 10 −3 to 0.02 for Cardium sp. & from −1.32 × 10 −3 to 0.0109 for Conch sp, the computed energetic density varied from 4 × 10 12 –2.5 × 10 13 J/m³ . The (020), (110), and (-111) planes are notably thermodynamically more stable for the produced POP, according to the favored growth estimation. Furthermore, FT-IR analysis verified that the compounds included hydroxyl and sulfate groups with functionalities. This study encourages environmentally friendly material synthesizing methods, investigates innovative uses in the biomedical and construction industries, and deepens our comprehension of nano-Plaster of Paris (POP) generated from aquatic environments. • Plaster of Paris (POP) has been synthesized from two types of marine mollusks (Cardium sp. & Conch sp.). • XRD and FT-IR characterization of the POP samples was made to check their nanocrystal formation probability. • Analysis and correlation among the findings of POP samples indicate their possible application as a biomaterial.